


The Spitefic of Avalon

by Jackkel Dragon (jackkel_dragon)



Category: The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Genre: Other, Spitefic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-03 08:51:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16323092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackkel_dragon/pseuds/Jackkel%20Dragon
Summary: A series(?) of short spitefics inspired by the commentary of Das Sporking on the novel "The Mists of Avalon".Current stories:The Fall of the Sacred Isle (3 parts)





	1. The Fall of the Sacred Isle, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is currently a rough draft I wrote on a whim, so a few things may change if I continue this story. (Like if my research sources were incorrect and I have to rename things, or if I misremembered details from the original book.)
> 
> Some notes/warnings:  
> \- The current outline calls for two more parts, so I'm going to skip right to the most significant parts of the story to make it easier to complete. This means some characters that should show up will be out of focus.  
> \- This story (and any other ones under this "spitefic" series) are very focused on playing out the darker, accidental messages of the original novel, so may not be suitable for those who enjoyed the original novel.  
> \- This particular story retains Morgaine's incestuous feelings for Arthur, but downplays them from the original novel.

Morgaine rode at a leisurely pace as she made for the seat of the High King. Her feelings were conflicted regarding the impending wedding of High King Arthur, which made her tarry as she tried to sort out her emotions. She knew that nothing more could come of her love for Arthur; he was a Christian king and she was his half-sister. Their son, his parentage hidden from all but her, was all that would come from them.

Yet it was this very desire to have Arthur as her own that also brought her great grief. When she had first learned the Great Marriage would have her become one with her own flesh and blood, she was horrified. The aftermath of that horror was what caused her to flee from Viviane and Avalon, flee from that place that claimed to have her best interests at heart while hiding the truth of her fate from her.

No resolution to this mental conflict seemed forthcoming, so Morgaine took a side road and tried to enjoy the scenery. As she looked around, she saw an old roadside shrine just a few yards from the path. She dismounted her horse and hitched it to a tree, creeping closer to the shrine. She wondered if Avalonian priestesses had once lived in this part of Britain.

"Who comes?" A voice from the trees called. Morgaine glanced around until she saw a woman in a black robe holding a staff or walking stick.

"I apologize, I didn't realize anyone was here." Morgaine indicted the shrine. "Do you care for this shrine?"

"I do." The woman walked over to the structure, laying a hand on it. "Not many come to offer prayer to Aeronwen in this day and age. They prefer to win their own battles, or ask for the Christian God to aid them."

"Aeronwen?" Morgaine asked, not recognizing the name. "Is that a name for the Goddess?"

The woman snorted. "She is a goddess, but not 'the' goddess. She would never be accused of being Arianrhod or Branwen."

"I was taught that all deities are facets of the Goddess and her lover."

"And where were you taught this?" The woman raised her brow. "This teacher of yours seems to be ignorant of the gods or else trying to deny them power by pretending they do not exist."

"I was trained as a priestess of Avalon, once." Morgaine remembered the argument that led to her flight from that isle. "But I left that life behind."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Then, the woman walked toward Morgaine. "For a moment, you greatly worried me. But perhaps you have some sense in you, if you left that place." She examined Morgaine, making her feel uneasy. "Avalon was once a place dedicated to Cerridwen. A holy isle. But then the 'Ladies of the Lake' came, and tainted it beyond recognition."

Morgaine thought that title, Cerridwen, sounded familiar, but wasn't certain. Was she the Goddess that Viviane had raised her to serve? "What happened once the Ladies of the Lake came?"

"They defiled that place, using it to serve their own ends." The woman paced, mashing her staff into the ground as she went. "They preached one thing and expected another. They used magic and guile to influence politics for their own ends. They twisted the transmigration of the soul so they would always be bound to a single bloodline, forever born back into their own opulence."

Morgaine was hesitant to believe the rantings of a woman she didn't know, but remembering the Great Marriage made her wonder if there was truth to this. Vivianne had cultivated her virginity, ensuring that Morgaine only ever was Arthur's lover. A perfectly royal bloodline, which furthered Vivianne's own goals in some way.

"Worse, those who try to escape are unable to do so. Vows of silence, promises of eternal torment, and the use of geas or other curses to make all who serve the Lady love Avalon as she does." The woman spit. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had such a curse, even now."

"...Show me." Morgaine said instinctively. "I want to see the sins of the current Lady of the Lake, Viviane."

The woman hesitated, then nodded. "I can... prepare a spell that will show us some of the crimes of your former master. Wait here."

Morgaine went to tend to the horse as the woman went to prepare. When the woman returned, men and women--probably from a nearby village--accompanied her.

"Gaze into this bowl of water, your mind fixed on the woman you remember." She had the villagers set down a stone bowl filled near to the brim with water. "I will cast the spell itself; you must only focus on the person."

Morgaine took a deep breath and stared into the water, seeing only her reflection for now. She noticed the woman and her assistants doing something around her, but her mind was focused on Viviane. What other cruelties had she inflicted on the world? For some reason Morgaine's mind went to the silent priestess, Raven. And as her mind connected the Lady and her servant, the water became clear and solid, letting Moragaine "see"...

A small house, Viviane's own. Her live-in servants, sworn to silence. Viviane, ordering them around to serve her every whim. Raven entered. The door was barred behind her by the servants. Viviane and Raven's clothes removed. Viviane touched Raven's face, not seeing the fear and disgust. Her lips pressed against Raven's forehead.

An intense wave of emotions shook Morgaine out of the vision, sending her onto her back gasping for air. One of the village men helped her to her feet as the other villagers watched in fright. The woman in black robes shook her head.

"Something you did not wish to see?"

Morgaine opened her mouth to denounce Viviane, to try to put into words how disgusted she was. But it was as if the words would not leave her mouth.

"I could attempt to remove the curse that seals your lips, but only if you wish it." The robed woman frowned. "Are you willing?"

Unable to properly speak, either from shock or a curse, Morgaine nodded.

The woman waved on some of the villagers, who set up ritual components around Morgaine. She was asked to sit down, and the woman placed a hand on Morgaine's forehead.

"Let Aeronwen bless you; may your fate be your own so that you may fight your battles on even ground with your foes."

She continued incanting a spell, but Morgaine felt a throbbing in her head. She felt dizzy, and suddenly saw Viviane's smiling face. She felt like she wanted to return to Vivane, apologize for mistrusting her. She would offer Mordred to Viviane, and resume her service to the Goddess. She would do anything Viviane asked of her, if only she would forgive--

A sudden pain wracked Morgaine's mind, and then all of the pain and dizziness went away. She was shaking, reaching for the sides of her head as if to make sure it was still there.

"There was indeed a curse on you, it seems. But it is gone now." The robed woman nodded at the villagers, who turned and left. "How do you feel?"

Morgaine closed her eyes and thought of Viviane again. With the curse gone, she felt... disgust and betrayal. She had thought she was the daughter Viviane never had. But was she anything more than a way to create Mordred? Her virginity was saved for Arthur, and then she was forced upon him with no choice.

Arthur... her brother. Even now, she felt some twisted, unfamilial affection for him. But she surely would not have gone through with the Great Marriage if she had known who it would be with! Viviane knew that, and hid the truth from her. More so than before, Morgaine realized the enormity of Viviane's machinations.

"I feel angry." Morgaine realized. She looked up at the robed woman. "I've been lied to and used for so much of my life. I don't even know if my love if real anymore, thanks to that woman."

After a pause, the woman nodded. "I wonder... Would you be willing to come with me to meet the High King of these lands? I have long wished the scourge of Avalon purged, but had no proof outside of my own magic of its sins. But if you were to testify..."

Morgaine nodded. "I am the sister of the High King. I'm sure I can get us an audience, once his marriage ceremony is over."

"Truly?" The woman leaned on her staff, eyes wide. "Then perhaps he will be even more inclined to listen."

Morgaine stood up, dusting off her clothes. "What is your name? I never thought to ask..."

"Argoel." She grinned. "The people of my village have given me the nickname 'the last druid'. But I doubt the old gods are so forgotten."

"Avalon and its Ladies would love to see the old ways destroyed, if it meant its own survival." Morgaine scowled. "The spread of the Christian faith is anathema to my former master."

"Anything that threatens her hold on the world is evil, in her eyes." Argoel stepped forward. "But if we can open the eyes of the High King, we may yet end her rule."

"Then we make for Caerleon." Morgaine turned to get her horse. "High King Arthur awaits us."


	2. The Fall of the Sacred Isle, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a first draft, so may see some edits before I consider the chapter finalized.

On the road to Caerleon, Morgaine and Argoel spoke further on the way in which Avalon deteriorated from a sacred island to become the place it was now. As Morgaine listened to the story and compared it to her upbringing, she found herself taking Argoel's side more and more. She briefly worried that she might have traded one curse for another, but a spell she cast in secret revealed that no such enchantment muddied her thoughts.

She wondered what Viviane would think of her now, using the magic she had been taught to fight against the will of the Lady of the Lake and the Goddess. Thinking on this, she decided to ask Argoel about her own rituals.

"Aeronwen is a goddess of the battlefield and of fate. My blessings and rituals focus on granting courage in war and allowing people to take control of their own destiny." Argoel showed Morgaine her staff. "This staff has also been blessed with power to enhance the kind of magic that was once used to turn the tides of battle, but I am not well versed in that kind of magic. It means little in my hands."

Morgaine thought back on her lessons, trying to decide which incantations could be used in the midst of combat. There were none specifically for that purpose, but perhaps she could twist other spells into such weapons. "I was not taught anything for use in war. I suspect Viviane did not want any of her apprentices to have a chance to stand up against her."

"Perhaps that is so." Argoel nodded, frowning.

\-----

The two women reached Caerleon a few days after the wedding, due to Morgaine's interest in learning more about the gods that Argoel worshipped and some of the magic of her people. It took a few more days to gain an audience with King Arthur, but before long the two women were brought into the presence of the High King and his favorite advisor, Taliesin "the Merlin". Morgaine heard that he also had a Christian advisor, but he was fanatically devoted to his faith and was not often consulted in person when dealing directly with anyone connected to Avalon. Also in attendance were Sirs Gawain and Cai, who ushered the two women toward the High King.

"Morgaine!" Arthur smiled as he recognized his sister, stepping forward to embrace her. "I regret that you were unable to attend the wedding. I had hoped to show you my wife, Gwenhyfar."

Morgaine felt uncomfortable in Arthur's arms, ending the hug as quickly as she could without being rude. She made an effort to not look too closely at her brother's face, to avoid any chance of her doomed affection surfacing here. "Perhaps I could meet her another time. I'm afraid I have bad news to share."

Taliesin frowned, stepping forward. "Ill news? What have you discovered that we have not already heard from our own messengers?"

Argoel glanced at Morgaine, who nodded at her. Argoel used her staff to stand up straight. "We have evidence that the Lady of Avalon is abusing her power, tainting a once-sacred land and sowing discord in Britain."

"These are powerful accusations." Arthur grimaced and looked over at Taliesin. "Merlin, do you have any idea what she could mean?"

"I do not see where she thinks this evidence will come from." Taliesin scratched at his gray beard. "My Lady has done things in her past that some would find questionable, but never with ill intent. Her only aim is to serve others through her devotion to the Goddess. Much as you seek to serve Britain through service to the Christian God."

"You--!" Argoel blurted out before Morgaine grabbed her arm.

"Merlin... Taliesin." Morgaine took a deep breath. "You may not believe this woman you have never met, but you would believe me, yes?"

"I will listen." Taliesin clasped his hands together. Arthur turned to look at Morgaine as well, frowning.

"A few days ago, I discovered that I had spent much of my life under an enchantment. A curse." Morgaine looked Taliesin right in the eyes, watching for a reaction. "Even though our Lady Viviane claimed she was doing things for the sake of Britain or the Goddess, much of what she did to me and my fellow priestesses has been for her own aggrandisement. She forced vows of silence to hide how she took advantage of her servants and controlled the purity of her subjects in order to further plans to reincarnate into the same position of power in her next life."

"Is all of this even possible?" Arthur asked, eyes wide. "To control the soul after death, to make it take a specific body in another life? What of Heaven, then? And God's Judgement?"

Morgaine noticed something twitch in Taliesin's demeanor. When he should have turned to give Arthur an explanation, he stepped toward Morgaine instead. "I know from messages from Lady Viviane that you are no longer serving her on the sacred isle, as you had been pledged. But that is no reason to spout baseless lies about the goals of Avalon or its Lady."

"I can show you." Morgaine motioned toward Argoel. "I have the Sight, and this woman knows a way to show my visions to anyone who looks into her bowl. I can prove to you, with your own Lady's magic, that she is not the woman you make her out to be."

Taliesin hesitated, considering his next move. Arthur fidgeted uncomfortably, apparently out of his element. "Perhaps... we could give this ritual a chance. We may discover that nothing is amiss, and that Morgaine's warning is unwarranted."

While Morgaine knew Arthur was trying to appease his advisor, she felt bitter at him acting as if he doubted her. But as she considered it, she realized he had no reason to believe her. The "Merlin" had been serving him for years. Morgaine had seen Arthur so little since they were children that they barely knew each other.

Argoel clutched her staff, backing away. "I sense something, Morgaine. Be wary."

Before Morgaine could respond or react, Taliesin growled at her. "There will be no ritual. Do not think to question the Lady again!"

In that moment, Morgaine realized something she should have prepared herself for: even Taliesin was under the effects of Viviane's curse. As she thought this, the world seemed to slow around her as she saw Taliesin pull a knife from his tunic. It was a simple tool, not truly a weapon. But it would be enough to kill her if he struck her in a vital spot.

Sir Gawain cried out something to Sir Cai, and they both started to run at Taliesin. But in the slowed time, Morgaine saw that they would not reach her in time. She had to defend herself.

With a few hurried words, she incanted a spell that she hoped would slick Taliesin's hand and make him drop the knife. While his grip seemed uneven now, he still thrust at her. She twisted herself to try to avoid the blade, but she felt it cut through her sleeve and leave a bloody mark on her.

As time returned to normal, she slapped Taliesin's wrist with her uninjured hand, causing the knife to fall to the floor. She picked it up and backed away from the man who had tried to kill her, who was quickly restrained by the waiting knights. Taliesin roared in frustration and anger at Morgaine, his eyes bloodshot. Arthur stood back, dumbfounded.

"Let Aeronwen bless you..." Argoel began, muttering her prayer in an attempt to break the spell on Taliesin.

"What has come over him?" Arthur demanded, his voice shaking.

"Avalon's curse." Morgaine told him, stepping closer to the thrashing Taliesin. She bit her lip as she faced the man. "Do you have no will of your own anymore...?"

Argoel's ritual finished, but the man's eyes did not return to normal. His thrashing lessened, but he still was trying to escape. "Why does the blessing not work?" Argoel looked to Morgaine.

Taliesin was the one to answer. "I'm... too far gone." He bit his lips enough to draw blood. "The Lady senses a threat, and has triggered her spell personally. I cannot be freed."

"But... Merlin, how could that be?" Arthur began to move toward Taliesin, but his knights shook their heads and warned him away.

"Morgaine." Taliesin looked into Morgaine's eyes with his bloodshot orbs. "You must... stop me. Before I do any more damage. Whatever you think of my previous actions... you know this must be done."

Morgaine looked down at the knife in her hands, then around at the faces in the room. With trepidation and doubt, she stepped toward Taliesin and aimed the knife at his heart.

"Do it!" He gasped, then seemed to try to lunge at Morgaine to bite her.

With a cry of surprise, Morgaine thrust the knife into Taliesin. Within moments, his power was gone. When the two knights let go of his arms, he slumped to the ground and bled.

Everyone was staring at the dying man, not knowing what had happened or what to do. Then Argoel grit her teeth and pointed at Taliesin. "High King, do you require more proof than this that Avalon can never truly be your ally?"

\-----

Preparations to go to war with Avalon began the next day. Arthur was not ready to accept that Taliesin would have turned on him if not for the curse, so a burial was prepared for him as well. The knights of Arthur's Round Table began assembling men to assault the isle of their surprising foe, and plans were drafted on how best to liberate those who had not been too poisoned by Viviane's magic to be saved.

In the days that followed, Morgaine watched the preparations and made her own. She found her cousin Lancelot, one of Arthur's knights, and decided to approach him as he drilled some soldiers.

"Are your men prepared for this?" Morgaine asked once she had Lancelot's attention.

"To fight a sorceress? That will take more than sparring, I'm afraid." Lancelot had his second in command take over the drills to walk with Morgaine. "To think that my own mother would become one of my greatest foes..."

"If she truly cared for you, she would have shown that affection instead of binding you to a curse to make you love her as much as you fear her."

"You may be right, but until that curse is lifted I will be forced to live with the idea of going to war with a dear parent."

"There is someone who may yet help you, even before the battle--"

Lancelot raised a hand. "I appreciate the offer, but I must refuse. My time must be spent seeing to the soldiers, not quelling my own fears and doubts."

Morgaine nodded sadly, wondering if this would affect the battle. She would just have to make sure Lancelot never had to fight his mother one-on-one. "Then I suppose I should leave you to your drills. May--" Morgaine caught herself as she almost invoked Viviane's tainted "Goddess". After a pause, she sighed. "May God watch over you and your men."

Lancelot nodded. "May God watch over us all." He turned to his men, rejoining the training.

As Morgaine went to leave, she thought she saw someone in a nearby window. She paused, noting that a fair-haired woman was peeking out of the window. She followed the woman's gaze to Lancelot. An admirer, perhaps? Someone from Arthur's court?

She sighed and walked away. She had once had feelings toward Lancelot as well, but--as with Arthur--it could not be. A Christian knight and a... godless witch? That would not be possible without risking one or both of them their reputation and life.

Morgaine considered her faith now. What did she believe now? She had rejected Viviane's Goddess, but that did not make her Christian. She did not know enough about Argoel's gods to turn to them now. Was she now adrift, with no faith to cling to...?

\-----

As the preparations for war were nearing completion, Argoel met with Morgaine and offered up her staff. Morgaine hesitated, uncertain of what this meant.

"Take it. You will need it if you will march with the High King's knights."

Morgaine slowly picked up the staff, feeling the sacred power within in as she stroked its length. "Are you certain? I do not follow your gods."

"But you will need all the help you can get in order to end the lineage of Viviane and her kind." Argoel pressed the staff towards Morgaine. "Take it and use it against her, for your sake and for the sake of my people."

"...You will go, then?"

"As I said before, I am no fighter." Argoel sighed. "I must return to my village. I just wanted to give this to you as a sign of our hope. Hope that the defilement of Avalon will end with this battle."

Morgaine set the staff in the ground. It was almost as tall as she was, she noted. She nodded at Argoel. "I will take it, then. And end this. For all of Britain."


	3. The Fall of the Sacred Isle, Part 3

The battle on Avalon for the fate of Britain began. High King Arthur and his knights pierced the mists protecting Avalon with the help of Morgaine's magic, then marched onto the island in search of the Lady of the Lake. As they moved through the island, they had some of the soldiers evacuate priestesses and initiates to the boats.

It was not long before Viviane responded to this violation of her sovereignty. She sent a number of cursed priestesses to harry Arthur's knights, leading to casualties on both sides as the knights tried to keep from killing the cursed women unless they had no other choice. It was in one of these skirmishes that Lancelot took a knife to his side, falling to his knees. Morgaine rushed to his aid even as the woman who harmed him was put to the sword.

"It seems I was overconfident." Lancelot clutched the wound, grimacing. "The blade cut deeper than I first thought."

"You will need to withdraw, then. It is not safe for you continue like this." Morgaine pressed her hand against the wound and sent a wave of magic into the torn flesh. "This spell will dull the pain until you can get to the healer."

"I feel as if I should continue on, if I can fight like this." Lancelot sighed. "But I will do no good if I fall. I will retreat, as you suggest."

Lancelot rallied his soldiers to him, and they took their charges rescued from the huts of Avalon and hurried back to the boats. Morgaine hurried ahead, using her new staff to propel herself forward.

As the fight raged on, Morgaine found herself forced to defend herself against the cursed women who Viviane enchanted to fight against Arthur's knights. It pained her to teach herself how to fight with magic against the very people she was meant to be saving, but she knew she needed to know how to fight before she confronted Viviane. Using magic to fling projectiles and start small fires, Morgaine watched as the cursed women fell to her spells and the swords and spears of the knights.

Things seemed to be going well until Viviane herself left her hut, a ceremonial knife in her hands. She raised a hand, and a torrent of hail buffeted a group of soldiers. As they cowered from the hard projectiles, Viviane pulled a spear made of stone from the very earth and impaled most of the men with it. The spear then shattered, cutting apart the remaining soldiers in the group.

Seeing such a scale of destruction in a few moments, Morgaine realized that this was a far more dangerous fight than she could have anticipated. She ran to Arthur's side, shouting over the din of battle to get his attention.

"Get everyone you can to the boats! Viviane will tear your army apart if you stay here!"

"How will we win, if we do not fight her here and now?" Arthur adjusted his armor, a grim look on his face as he observed the battle.

"I will face her, alone." Morgaine watched as Viviane continued to turn the elements against Arthur's men, and she started to form an idea. "I... may be able to stop her. But it is too risky for you to stay here. Even if you have to retreat today to fight again another day, that would be better than you and your men being massacred."

Arthur sighed, shaking his head. "Against such odds, perhaps we do need a new strategy." He nodded at Morgaine. "May God look favorably on your plan. I will make sure the women that the Lady hurt make it from here safely."

Feeling as if this might be her last chance to do so, Morgaine stepped closer and stood up to kiss Arthur. She nearly did so on his lips, but relented and kissed his cheek instead. "Stay safe, brother."

The shouts of orders to retreat sounded over the battlefield, and the knights fell back to the beaches. Soon they were taking everyone they could evacuate and pushing off into the lake, leaving behind a small rearguard to fight the last of the cursed women. Aside from this small skirmish at the edge of the isle, only Viviane and Morgaine remained alive and within Avalon.

Morgaine focused her will on the staff she carried, building up a massive wave that could sink all of Avalon. She had no plan of escape, but she also had no time to create one. Soon, Viviane would find her and would try to convert her... or kill her.

"Morgaine!" A shrill voice cut through the fog. "I knew you had turned your back on the Goddess, but not so completely as this."

Morgaine kept some of her mind on her spell, but turned to face Viviane. "Who is your Goddess? Is it some higher power? Or just you?"

"You are speaking to the Lady of the Lake. As far as you are concerned, I speak for the Goddess." Vivianne was covered in the blood of the soldiers she had killed, spattered all over her robes and face.

"So you admit that you are the very Goddess you had us all serve, then?" Morgaine tried to divert her mind to focus on another spell, lifting a rock to ready as a projectile. It would be weak, but it would distract Viviane from her true plan.

Viviane sighed, wiping her face with her sleeve. "Why do you come here, killing my priestesses and mocking me? What do you hope to gain, Morgaine? You realize you could have been the Lady of the Lake one day, do you not?"

"And sacrifice my son to political schemes? Sacrifice any daughter I birthed for a religion that exists to serve the Ladies of the Lake?"

"You speak of these things as if they are not worthy sacrifices. You phrase them to make them sound evil. Our bloodline is above that of others, Morgaine. We are born for better things than the Romans, or the Christians and their dead god."

"That does not give us the right to abuse the lives of others for personal gain!" Morgaine flung the stone at Viviane with her magic, starting to get angry. "You tricked me into a union with my own brother, without even giving me the chance to agree to such a thing! You make use of your priestesses like personal servants, who exist to serve your whim!"

"Everything I have done has been to create the world the Goddess wants us to live in."

"That is not the world I want to live in." Morgaine picked up other objects from the battlefield, using her magic to fling them at Viviane. "Arthur will not allow Britain to become a despotism under the rule of inbred women who cheat death."

"What lies have you been told, child?" Viviane began to advance on Morgaine. "We are often born into the same station as our previous lives, it is true. But that is because our bloodline is pure and our dominion is ordained by the Goddess."

"It is not lies I've been told. Not from the ones who told me of your sins." Morgaine grit her teeth, backing away from the approaching Viviane with her staff raised. "Perhaps you have not told me a direct lie, either. But you have twisted the truth until it was no longer recognizable. I needed an outsider to show me the evil in your ways."

"This is why I had to enchant so many of you who might one day leave Avalon. Without my guidance, you would fall for any little lie told by outsiders." Viviane raised her knife. "Now, Morgaine, you must choose. Accept your place here, as my heir, or I will be forced to kill you."

"The daughter you never had?"

Viviane seemed taken aback, but she sighed and nodded. "If it must come to that, then let the Goddess's will be done."

With that, Viviane charged at Morgaine. Flinging debris at Viviane desperately, Morgaine poured as much of her power into the wave as she could. If she couldn't get that spell off, she would leave Arthur alone to deal with Viviane...

As Viviane got closer, Morgaine used the staff itself to block her attacks. Viviane seemed to be forgoing magic, as if she had to kill Morgaine with her own hands. She swung the knife viciously, making Morgaine wonder if perhaps the magic was instead being used to increase her speed.

Morgaine was starting to think the wave that now towered behind Viviane was tall enough to drench the entire island. She concentrated on the final preparations to move the wave into position to consume the land and everything on it.

Then, Viviane's knife cut through the staff.

Within a moment, the sacred energy within the staff seemed to dissipate and Morgaine lost her connection to the wave. She saw it start to fall, but not closely enough to do any good by her reckoning. Morgaine reached out with both hands and mind to try to control the wave, but she could barely move any of the water with her own ability.

As she tried to coax the wave toward Avalon, Viviane strode forward and ran the knife into Morgaine's gut. All of the wind was knocked from Morgaine's body, and a searing pain cut through her belly.

"I did not want to do this, Morgaine." Viviane seemed to be sulking, as if in tears, but it felt fake to Morgaine. "You were my sister's daughter. But I cannot let what you have done today go unanswered. Not if you will not join me."

With one last gasp of mental strength, Morgaine reached out for the mass of water towering over the island and pulled it closer. Viviane frowned and turned to see what Morgaine was reaching at. When she saw the wave, her mouth dropped open.

"What have you done--?!"

The wave obeyed, the water careening over itself and onto Avalon. Thousands of pounds of water rushed over the island, crushing the huts in their path. Viviane looked to be about to run to the shore where the ferry should be, but Morgaine reached out and grabbed Viviane's ankle and tripped her.

Still holding onto Viviane's leg, Morgaine choked out a few words past her pain. "If I'm going to die... you need to come with me."

"This cannot be allowed to happen--!"

"Too late." Morgaine saw the cascade of water rushing towards them and closed her eyes. "You'll be the last Lady of the Lake."

\-----

Arthur stood at the edge of his boat, looking out into the lake. "My God, there's hardly anything left."

Looking up from the healer tending to him, Lancelot gazed out at the water. Where there once was an island shrouded in mist, there was now only a few hilly outcroppings and a tree or two. "It seems Morgaine has done it. That vile land is no more." He chuckled. "It seems my curse died with its caster, as well."

"If only it had not been at so great a cost..." Arthur looked to the boats. Perhaps a quarter of his soldiers had been lost, and half of the survivors were injured in some manner. Even after accounting for the women they planned to evacuate, there were too many empty seats at the oars.

Neither man brought up the sacrifice of Morgaine, uncertain of how acknowledging it might affect the other.

When they reached the edge of the lake, Lancelot stood and noted the sword at Arthur's side. "That was crafted using Avalonian magic, was it not?"

"It was... by Morgaine." Arthur drew it. He had, thankfully, not had to fight any of the cursed women personally. He was uncertain he had the nerve to fight against those who fought as if possessed. But it now struck him how odd it was to carry a sword that belonged to the very culture he had come here to destroy.

Another of Arthur's knights stood up, reaching for the sword with his one hand. "My king, if I may, I would gladly dispose of the sword for you."

"As you wish, Sir Bedwyr." Arthur turned the sword so the man could take it. With a nod, the knight tossed the sword into the lake.

Arthur then stepped off the boat, helping some of the others get off as well. He was too busy minding the disembarkment that he missed something that Bedwyr and Lancelot saw: A woman's hand seemed to reach up and drag the sword down with her. The two knights looked at each other, wondering who the woman could have been... if it had been a woman at all.

"Good sirs, I hate to rush you, but we have news to deliver to Caerleon." Arthur grinned at the two knights, who were the last still seated on the boat. "The island won't likely rise back up anytime soon, so we should be off."

Deciding not to worry Arthur with the fate of his former sword, the two men nodded to each other and left the boat with Arthur.

\-----

Argoel knelt before the small cairn she had built for Morgaine. Taking a breath, she closed her eyes and raised up her hands.

"May your soul rest easy in Annwn, and let you find some measure of peace there until you are born again. I pray that your next life is more fortunate than this one."

The prayer done, Argoel took another deep breath.

"You have suffered much, Morgaine. But you have also helped to end a source of evil and sorrow. I do not know if it absolves you of your actions under the influence of Avalon, but I hope it at least frees you to choose your own path in the next life."

Standing, Argoel took up her walking stick. She was not nearly old enough to truly need one, but she had grown so used to the sacred staff she once used that she needed a replacement walking stick to feel complete.

With her dedication to Morgaine's memorial cairn complete, Argoel made her way back to the village. She wondered what would happen now that Avalon was gone. Were the old ways truly doomed to be lost to the spread of Christianity, as some claimed? Or was there still a place in the world for people such as her?

Either way, Argoel had a responsibility to uphold. She set her face forward, preparing for the inevitably changing times. Just as High King Arthur of Britain had to tend to his lands, she had to ensure that the needs of her people were fulfilled. She would ensure that her people would never fall to the corruption that polluted the formerly sacred isle. Avalon would fade back into the mists, where it belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking back, I may have traded one type of Mary Sue for another with Morgaine. Hopefully those who read this far will prefer this version, at least.
> 
> Also, this chapter is the end of this story. If I do other spitefics for the Mists of Avalon, I'll probably make them part of this "work", but this first scenario is finished. (Aside from revisions that might happen when I get some time.)


End file.
